萝莉社

Imagine enduring leg pain for 20 years. That was the case for Leeann Caridi, a Port Orange resident who was treated at by Sassan Keshavarzi, MD, interim chair and assistant professor of at the .

Caridi had extreme discomfort in her left leg all the way down to the bottom of her foot. She even felt pain in her lower back and buttocks. She was limited in what she could do physically. It was so bad that she had to sit on a stool while taking a shower. Tasks such as vacuuming and washing dishes were major challenges.

During an exam, Keshavarzi noted that Caridi, now 45, had lost about half of the sensation in the bottom of her left foot. An MRI showed that she had degenerative disc disease in her spine, resulting in disc herniation, as well as abnormal narrowing (stenosis) of the spinal column. Caridi also had disc cartilage protruding through her vertebra, a condition known as Schmorl鈥檚 nodes.

鈥淚t was dramatic,鈥� Keshavarzi said of her condition. 鈥淚t was very clear that this was almost-debilitating lower back pain, and she had it for 20 years.鈥�

Keshavarzi performed a procedure called L5-S1 posterior fusion with instrumentation. He entered through her back to reach the spine and implanted screws and rods to stabilize the vertebrae. The procedure involved removing a portion of the bone to decompress the L5-S1 nerve and performing an interbody fusion, in which bone graft replaced the removed disc material.

The day after surgery, Caridi was out of her hospital bed and able to sit in a chair. She said the numbness and tingling she had experienced in her left leg for years had subsided. She continues to be pain-free.

Caridi鈥檚 follow-up appointments have gone well. At home, she鈥檚 much happier and independent. That sitting stool in the shower is long gone. She can now stand up straight to wash dishes and brush her teeth. The days of leaning over the sink to support herself are a thing of the past.

鈥淚t makes a world of difference,鈥� Caridi said of her regained strength. 鈥淚鈥檓 more active and I鈥檓 back in the game.鈥�